PHOENIX – Less than a year after President Barack Obama phoned Democrat Richard Carmona to urge him to run for the U.S. Senate, Carmona is now attempting to mislead Arizona about being recruited by Barack Obama.

“Democrat Richard Carmona admitted to being an Obama recruit several times, and now he’s backpedaling,” said Tim Sifert, spokesman for the Arizona Republican Party. “The people of Arizona know Carmona as a supporter of the Democrats’ liberal agenda in Washington, and now they also know him as someone who hesitates with the truth.”

“On September 23, President Obama called Richard Carmona to encourage him to run,” said one Democratic strategist. (Alexander Burns, Obama courts Ariz. Senate candidate, may contest state ‘heavily’, Politico, 10/06/11)

Carmona is one of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s favorite candidates and was personally courted by President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to get into the race. (David Catanese, Bivens clears the way for Carmona, Politico, 3/27/2012)

Obama personally called Carmona and asked him to run, and Carmona told The Hill in February that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (Wash.) were also among those who reached out to court him. (Josh Lederman, Democrat Bivens drops out of Arizona Senate primary, clearing way for Carmona, The Hill, 3/27/2010)